We face austerity, privatisation, and toxic influence. But we are growing, and cannot be beaten
The egos have landed
Some hard political choices must be made in Trump’s post-truth era – starting by abandoning any illusions about the ‘special relationship’ and waking up to the need for bold policy-making on the climate, argues ALAN SIMPSON

IN THE court of Emperor Trump the oligarchs rule. At least they think they do. But as in any feudal system, even the oligarchs are just courtiers.
Courtier power is conditional, not on the amount of cash you shower upon the emperor but on the ability to constantly praise his every word. The battleground between courtiers then becomes “who gets closest to the emperor’s ear”?
At the moment Elon Musk has Trump’s ear. Musk is not just an increasingly right-wing media mogul who helped rig the election in Trump’s favour. He is keen to do the same for the AfD in Germany, the Reform Party in Britain and any number of right-wing movements across the globe. This is what modern feudalism looks like.
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